For everyday work wear, in environments or occasions where the CF greens would not be appropriate, personnel were issued the Work Dress uniform. This consisted of rifle-green work trousers; a zippered rifle-green work jacket; a “lagoon green” work shirt; and beret. The jacket collar was worn open. The shirt was either worn with a tie, …
Category archives: Museum Misc
Uniform, Tunic, Officer, with Sam Browne Belt
Sam Browne belts are a combination of a pistol belt or garrison belt and a shoulder strap. The Sam Browne belt was named after General Sir Samuel J. Browne, 1824-1901, of the British Army in India. The strap was intended to help carry the weight of a heavy pistol. The Sam Browne belt was phased …
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Uniform, Patrol Dress
By the mid-1950s, the Canadian army began to move away from its drab, utilitarian, wartime look. An important part of this official movement was to introduce the Blue Patrol uniform. Blue patrol dress was approved for all Officers, Warrant Officers and NCOs above the rank of Lance Sergeant. (A corporal could be appointed lance-sergeant to …
Uniform, Mess kit, 1968
Mess dress uniform (after unification 1968) is the most formal (or semi-formal, depending on the country) type of uniform used by military personnel, police personnel, and other uniformed services members. It frequently consists of a mess jacket, trousers, white dress shirt, cummerbund and a black bow tie, along with orders and medals insignia. Design may depend on regiment or service branch, (e.g. army, navy, air force). In Western dress codes, mess dress uniform is the supplementary alternative equivalent …
Uniform, Mess Kit
As Falconer’s dictionary defined it in 1815, “Mess implies any company of the officers or solders, who eat, drink and associate together.” In 1845, the British military introduced evening dress intended for formal occasions held in mess halls and elsewhere. Canada assumed full responsibility for its own defence in 1868 and continued to follow most British military …
Uniform Dress Garrison
Work dress was replaced with Garrison Dress, which consisted of the old-style work dress pants, a disruptive-pattern jacket, a black web belt, a short-sleeve summer service dress shirt with the collar open and over the jacket collar, high paratrooper-style garrison boots, and a rifle-green crew-neck combat sweater. Adopted in 1989, Garrison Dress was not worn …
Uniforms, Distinctive Environmental (DEU)
The Canadian Forces Green uniform lasted in service about 15 years and was replaced by “Distinctive Environment Uniforms” (DEU) in 1985. The Distinctive Environmental Uniform was adopted as a dress and duty uniform by the Canadian Forces, marking a return to distinctive service uniforms. The Army retained the basic CF Green service dress (left top) …
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Uniform, CWAC
Uniforms worn by Canadian Women’s Army Corps (CWAC) were of standard pattern. The cap, jacket and skirt were of drab barathea, essentially a khaki color. The uniform also comprised a brown shirt and tie. A lightweight tan version was provided for summer wear. Brown oxford shoes were worn by all ranks. CWAC was formed in …
Uniform, Combat
Following battle dress uniforms, this new pattern of field uniform was trialed in the early 1960s and was adopted for service in 1963 (known as “Combats”). Beginning in 1999, the OG (Olive green) combat was replaced by the CADPAT Combat uniform, Canada’s computer-generated digital camouflage pattern. The issue of Combat uniforms began in 1964. Beginning in 1972 …
Uniform, CF Green
Shortly after the armed services were unified into the Canadian Armed Forces in 1968, the service-specific uniforms (navy blue, khaki, and light blue) were abandoned in favor of the Canadian Forces’ rifle green, single-breasted, four-button tunic and pants, with beret or service cap uniform, commonly referred to as “CF greens”. Introduced for trials in 1967, …